Italian Cinema Today

Matteo Troncone at the Mill Valley Film Festival Matteo Troncone's heartfelt documentary Arrangiarsi is the most refreshing contemporary film about the south to be shown in America in a very long time. Why? Because it's a film about the people of the south, the spirit of the south and the pride of the south. After one criminality film after another about the  stereotypical   southern poverty and people being abused, bullied and silenced by gangsters, finally there is a movie in which the element of organized crime takes just one segment and the people are positive in confronting it. The characters in  Arrangiarsi  are real. They are not actors reading a script. This is a rare and extraordinary opportunity to hear about the south from southerners born and raised there- southerners who did not flee. Instead, they stayed to withstand all the obstacles and challenges out of the love and loyalty they feel for their land. That is why the story is so fa...

"To truly understand the film's subject matter, it was important for me to actually "live it" -- not just go to Naples for two weeks with a big budget, a film crew and be a “tourist,” but to immerse myself and deeply experience the culture." -Matteo Troncone The Italian word “arrangiarsi” means the art of making something out of nothing. I didn't know this word until I discovered Matteo Troncone's film. Titled A rrangiarsi , the film is a labor of love that forced Troncone to be homeless during the making of the film, dividing his time between his van in California and a tent in Italy.  A California native, Troncone's Italian origins are in the north and south of Italy, so it was a poignant experience for him to go back to his family's roots and savor not only the amazing Neapolitan food but to also take in the rich culture and centuries-old traditions. The project was seven years in the making and captures the essence of his adventure...